Krasnodar
Krasnodar ( ) is a city in North Adygea on the Kuban River. It is the administrative center of Krasnodar Krai (also known as Kuban). Geographical location Population: 646,175 (2002 Census); 710,400 (2006 est.). Name Founded in 1793 as Yekaterinodar or Ekaterinodar (Екатеринодар), the original name meant "Catherine's Gift" simultaneously in recognition of grant of land in the Kuban region to the (later the ) and in recognition of , the , who is considered to be the patron of the city. After the October Revolution, Yekaterinodar was renamed Krasnodar (December, ). There are two potential meanings for the new name of the city: Krasno- (Красно-), meaning either 'beautiful' (an older root) or 'red' (especially relevant considering the political atmosphere of the time); and -dar (-дар), meaning 'gift'. Thus, the city's name means either beautiful gift or red gift (i.e. 'gift of the reds'). History The origin of the city starts with a fortress built by s in order to defend Imperial borders and claim Russian ownership over , which was contested by . In the first half of the 19th century Krasnodar (then Yekaterinodar) grew into a busy center of the Kuban Cossacks. By 1888 about 45,000 people lived in the city and it became a vital trade center of southern Russia. In 1897 an commemorating 200 year old history of Kuban Cossack Host was built in Yekaterinodar. During the the city changed hands several times between the and , the latter of included many Kuban Cossacks who were committed supporters. During the Great Patriotic War (World War II), Krasnodar was occupied by the German Army between August 12, 1942 and February 12, 1943. The city sustained heavy damage in the fighting but was rebuilt and renovated after the war. Famous Adygean soprano Anna Netrebko, Gennady Padalka, Andrei Shkuro and Inna Zhukova were born in Krasnodar. Coat of arms The of Yekaterinodar was introduced in by the Cossack Ivan Chernik. The royal letter "E" in the middle is for Ekaterina II (Russian for ). It also depicts the date city was founded, the Imperial (symbolizing the patronage of Black Sea Cossacks), a of a Cossack ataman, Yekaterinodar fortress, and flags with letters "E", "P","A" and "N" standing for Catherine II, , and . Yellow stars around the shield symbolized 59 Black Sea s around the city. Travel information The main airline is Kuban Airlines (at Krasnodar Pashkovsky Airport), and the largest hotels in the city include the Intourist, Hotel Moskva, Hotel Platan. Krasnodar uses a 220 V/50 Hz power supply with two round-pin like most European countries. The major tourist attractions include St. Catherine's Cathedral, the State Arts Museum, a park and theatre named after Maxim Gorky, the beautiful concert hall of the Krasnodar Philharmonic Society, which is considered to have some of the best acoustics in southern Russia, State Cossack Choir and the Krasnodar circus. Public transportation within Krasnodar consists of city buses, trolleybuses, trams, and marshrutkas. Trolleybuses and trams, both powered by overhead electric wires, are the main form of transportation in Krasnodar. Krasnodar, up until 2000, did not have a coherent metro system, but is in the process of developing one. Sister cities Krasnodar has four : * , * , * , * , Famous people *Anna Netrebko, (* 1971) opera singer *Sergei Tiviakov, (* 1973) chess Grandmaster *Eduard Kokcharov, (* 1975) handball player *Alexandre Bondar, (* 1972) writer and novelist External links *Krasnodar city administration *Krasnodar city photographs *Inside Krasnodar Blog Category:Settlements established in 1793